Grounds for Learning: Schoolyard Activities as Provocations, Scaffolds and Mediators for Childhood Learning

Johnson, Paul

Australian Journal of Environmental Education, v33 n1 p57-59 Mar 2017

Compelling evidence links childhood experiences in quasi-natural settings with learning and wellbeing, but, as cities grow, children's activities have been increasingly restricted to de-natured spaces that are designed or controlled by adults. In recent years, academics and education practitioners have campaigned to reverse this trend, and one result is that Australian early childhood centres and schools increasingly provide environments that enhance opportunities for children to engage with nature. These moves are also underpinned by higher-level policy initiatives. For example, the "National Quality Standard," Element 3.2.1, requires that early childhood outdoor spaces are designed so that children experience natural environments (ACECQA, 2013). Similarly, the South Australian Department for Education and Child Development (2016, p. 5) "Outdoor Learning Environments Standard" mandates "balanced environments which instil a sense of wonder, generate curiosity and spark the imagination of children and young people". However, despite recent interest and policy initiatives, the processes by which environments influence learning remain "under-researched" (Engelen et al., 2013, p. 324) and constitute a "significant blind spot" (Rickinson et al., 2004, p. 8) in the literature.